Ex-UK QB Jalen Whitlow one of three FBS players to transfer to E. Illinois

Posted by John Taylor on May 21, 2014, 6:58 PM EDT

AP

Dorian Green-Beckhammay or may not end up at Eastern Illinois when it’s all said and done. In the meantime, another former SEC player will look to continue his player career with the FCS program.

The Panthers, it was announced Wednesday, have added former Kentucky quarterback Jalen Whitlow to their roster. As he’s dropping down a level, Whitlow will be eligible to play in 2014.

It was announced last month, shortly after Whitlow both lost the quarterback competition and was asked to switched positions, that the player would be transferring from UK.

At Eastern Illinois, Whitlow will get the opportunity to replace Jimmy Garoppolo, who was a second-round selection in the NFL draft earlier this month. It was Garoppolo who broke nearly all of the significant school passing standards previously held by Tony Romo, so Whitlow, who’ll bring experience to the competition, would have sizable shoes to fill were he to win the job.

The past two seasons with the Wildcats, Whitlow threw for 1,831 yards and 10 touchdowns as he started 15 games. He also contributed nine touchdowns on the ground.

In addition to Whitlow, Eastern Illinois announced the additions of wide receiver Stephen Bravo-Brown a transfer from South Florida, and defensive back Anthony Standifer, a transfer from Ole Miss. The former caught seven passes in 10 games for the Bulls before graduating and moving on, while Standifer, a three-star member of the Rebels’ 2012 recruiting class, was dismissed by the program last October.

EIU reminds me of Marshall back in the 90s when the Herd was still playing at the DIAA level. A number of very talented DIA players, including Randy Moss and Eric Kresser, transferrred to Marshall. While Marshall had been a very good DIAA team previously, the infusion of top talent allowed them to fight well above their weight even after moving up to DIA to join the MAC.